Hunter Paramedics and Patient Transport Officers Join 24 Hour Strike

BY JACQUELYN RICHARDS

Paramedics and patient transport officers across Newcastle and the Hunter are joining the strike against government inaction on wages today. 

Workers are demanding action from the government on their promise to scrap the public sector wage cap which limits pay rises at 3%. 

As part of the industrial action, workers will not be taking patients home from hospitals once they've been discharged. 

Patients will still be able to get into hospitals, but the system will be delayed as patient transport workers refuse to transfer patients seeking transport from hospitals to residential and age care facilities. 

It's estimated thousands of patients across the Hunter and the state will be inconvenienced. 

The state government has been slow moving on their promise for better pay, and Health Services Union Secretary Gerard Hayes is doubtful they'll meet their timeline to effect change by June 1st. 

"We've got 43 days until the 1st of July when a wage deal should be in place and clearly that's not going to happen," said Mr. Hayes. 

Mr. Hayes also noted the government's lack of care towards health care workers amidst the current cost of living crisis, saying it's forcing local paramedics to move out of state for work. 

If not resolved, he warns the healthcare system in New South Wales will crumble. 

"We're seeing paramedics now starting to move on mass to Queensland, to Victoria, so shortly we'll be struggling to have a paramedic service at all," he said. 

Mr. Hayes has made clear the demands the union has for healthcare workers, and says they'd like to see change actioned as quickly as possible. 

"We'd like to see a 6.5% pay rise as of the 1st of July, we'd like the government to be able to sit down with us and be able to undertake award reform of a range of awards," he said. 

"We'd like to stop the government stealing money out of workers pockets with respect to their salary packaging that health workers currently have; the government takes 50% of that salary packaging and we'd like to see a royal commission as soon as possible." 

Health Services Union members insist they don't want industrial action to harm patients, but want to ensure the government clearly understands the effect their inaction has had on workers amidst inflation and the cost of living crisis. 

"Paramedics and patient transfer officers have taken action today to ensure that the government is clearly understanding the level of anxiety that people are suffering on the back of 7% inflation and wages not moving," Mr. Hayes said. 

This is the first major industrial action which has taken place since the new state government won the election. 

Hunter Nurses, Paramedics & Police To Get Pay Rise

 BY IAN CROUCH

Frontline public sector workers who kept the Hunter community safe during the Coronavirus pandemic will get a pay rise from the 1st of July.

Hospital workers, paramedics and police will be among those to receive a 2.5 per cent increase.

It follows a concerted campaign by nurses who argued the government needed to keep it's promise for the full increase after offering just 1.1 per cent.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Government's decision to boost pay came on the back of renewed confidence in the NSW economy.

Meanwhile, Hunter Ambulance paramedics are again taking industrial action on Tuesday despite the announcement.

They'll only respond to like-threatening emergencies.

The Health Services union says the salaries of NSW  paramedics are not keeping up with their interstate counterparts

Health Services Union Secretary, Gerard Hayes says paramedics will still respond in urgent circumstances.

"The Ambulance Service is there to supply support to the community. The important issue is that any serious case of life-threatening case will be responded to. Low acuity cases will take some time to respond to" he said.

Gerard Hayes

 

Singleton Hospital GP Exodus

BY JARROD MELMETH

Four General Practitioners have walked out of Singleton Hospital citing unsafe workplace practices. 

The exodus of GP's comes at a time when rural and region health services are under the microscope of a parliamentary inquiry looking into health outcomes and access to health and hospital services.

NSW Health Services Union Secretary Gerard Hayes says there needs to be a new strategy to engage health workers to rural and regional areas.

"Until we get to see more clinicians and more health practitioners regionally, there will be people just transferring to the city. This would take away real serious clinical support out of that region," Mr Hayes said.

"This is a very scary situation if you have a loved one or a family member who requires emergency support and there is a drain in terms of medical support. That becomes very, very problematic, and noting that Singleton is an hour away from Newcastle, every minute counts when a medical emergency arises." 

In a recent submission to the parliamentary inquiry, the Rural Doctors Association of NSW says that staff retention is the major issue affecting the workforce.

"Attempting to care for patients in rural areas has become less and less attractive over the past 2 to 3 decades. The lived experience is that there is a lack of understanding within New South Wales Health about how the day-to-day business of patient care gets done."

"At the point of care, there are many issues which appear to make the job more difficult and slow. When problems are identified the response is glacial or non-existent."

"Doctors, nurses and administrative staff working on patient care in the hospitals feel constantly undervalued and frustrated. This problem needs to be addressed because at the moment staff in training have the impression the work is onerous and under paid. Attraction suffers severely. Those working in the area are leaving.," The submission said.

Executive Director of Rural & Regional Health Services Susan Heyman says the community can rest assure that Singleton Hospital continues to have medical coverage.

"There are currently nine GPs actively participating in the on-call roster at Singleton Hospital, and we are grateful for their continued dedication. We are investigating options with locum agencies to better support those GPs who continue to provide their services to the hospital," Ms Heyman said.

"Recruiting doctors and nursing staff to regional areas is a challenge faced not only by Hunter New England Health, but all of Australia." 

Singleton Hospital. Source: Singleton Hospital Auxiliary